Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Human Rights

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether human rights remain a foreign policy priority.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Human rights remain an integral part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's work. They are mainstreamed across our work and they are intrinsically linked with many aspects of our national interest, including the stability and prosperity of our international partners.

Human Rights

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the proportion of their budget and personnel that is allocated to promoting human rights, the rule of law and democracy in other countries.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: As explained in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)’s 2014 Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report, it is not possible to disaggregate an exact figure for what we spend annually on human rights and democracy work. This is because it is mainstreamed across the network, and thus a component of a wide range of FCO activities. However, by combining relevant programme spend, grant-in-aid spending, and estimated personnel costs, we were able to calculate a conservative figure of approximately £42.6 million for the financial year 2014-15. This figure does not include the cross-departmental Conflict Pool Fund (now the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund).

Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether official development assistance funds provided through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund are subject to the provisions of the International Development Act 2002.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Official Development Assistance (ODA) Conflict Stability and Security Funds (CSSF) managed by the Department for International Development are subject to the provisions of the International Development Act. CSSF ODA spend by other departments all come under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - Development Assistance Committee definitions.

UK Membership of EU

Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the public will be properly and impartially informed about the full range of consequences of withdrawal from membership of the European Union.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), is focused on success: he believes he can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis. The public will expect Ministers to set out the results of the renegotiation, how the relationship with Europe has been changed and if, and how, those changes address their concerns. As the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), said in response to Oral Questions to the Treasury on 16 June 2015, Official Report Column 166: 'I am sure that the Treasury will publish assessments of the merits of membership and the risks of a lack of reform in the European Union, including the damage that that could do to Britain's interests.'

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Small Businesses: EU Grants and Loans

Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, what steps, if any, they plan to take to ensure local involvement and certainty for small businesses participating in the JEREMIE (Joint European Resources for Micro to medium Enterprises) initiative in the north-east of England; and what role the British Business Bank will have in disbursing funds for projects supported by that initiative.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Government has no intention of imposing any arrangements for the next round of JEREMIE-style funds that do not carry local support. The Government remains committed to the Northern Powerhouse, and in that context is continuing, with the British Business Bank, to look at how best to help SMEs across the north access the investment they need.

Ministry of Defence

Aircraft Carriers: Military Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 1 October (HL2376), whether they were assured that there would be a fully implemented Operational Conversion Unit in addition to the Sea Lightnings embarked; and if so, how many aircraft were expected to be in that Unit.

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 1 October (HL2376), what assessment they have made of (1) what mission would demand the most Sea Lightnings; and (2) how many Sea Lightnings that mission would require.

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 1 October (HL2376), what planning and costing assumptions were made for the number of Sea Lightnings to be carried in the carrier at full availability in all scenarios.

Earl Howe: The Ministry of Defence does not recognise the term 'Sea Lightning'. The UK Lightning Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) is planned to commence UK training at RAF Marham from August 2019. The OCU will operate in parallel with 617 Squadron, the front line unit. The OCU will be equipped with 10 Lightning aircraft.The MOD does not comment on operational capabilities as to do so would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.I am withholding the information on planning and costing assumptions as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Army Reserve: Croydon

Earl Attlee: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, of the enhancements originally planned in order to accommodate heavy recovery vehicles for the Army Reserve Centre at Mitcham Road, Croydon, which have been implemented, and which have been deferred, cancelled, postponed, or otherwise not implemented.

Earl Attlee: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much expenditure this financial year has been saved or postponed by not implementing enhancements originally planned in order to accommodate heavy recovery vehicles for the Army Reserve Centre at Mitcham Road, Croydon.

Earl Howe: Infrastructure developments related to the relocation of 150 Recovery Company, part of 103 Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, to the Army Reserve Centre in Croydon have not progressed past the initial assessment phase. Therefore, no detailed plans have been developed nor funds allocated. The unit continues to deliver its required outputs including training with heavy recovery vehicles.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the leaked 2009 report by the United States Central Intelligence Agency that drone strikes are ineffective and counter-productive.

Earl Howe: The Government deplores the leaking of any classified information, wherever it occurs. It has been the policy of successive British Governments not to comment on leaked documents.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Lord MacKenzie of Culkein: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when decisions will be made about replacements for the forward repair vessel RFA Diligence and the aviation training casualty receiving ship RFA Argus.

Earl Howe: The Ministry of Defence is considering a range of options in the Strategic Defence and Security Review; this will include an assessment of the out of service dates of RFA Diligence and RFA Argus.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Lord MacKenzie of Culkein: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the age of each of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships currently in service.

Earl Howe: The year of launch of each Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship currently in service is shown below:ShipLaunchedRFA BLACK ROVER1973RFA GOLD ROVER1973RFA FORT ROSALIE1976RFA FORT AUSTIN1978RFA ARGUS1981RFA DILIGENCE1981RFA FORT VICTORIA1990RFA WAVE KNIGHT2000RFA WAVE RULER2001RFA MOUNTS BAY2004RFA CARDIGAN BAY2005RFA LYME BAY2005

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Lord MacKenzie of Culkein: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the average age of officers serving in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in the rank of (1) Chief Officer, and (2) Captain.

Earl Howe: The information requested is provided below.RankAverage Age in YearsCaptain55Chief Officer53

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Lord MacKenzie of Culkein: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken to bring the remuneration package for officers serving with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary into line with market rates in the commercial shipping industry.

Earl Howe: The Ministry of Defence is currently conducting a study that will provide a model and methodology to enable comparisons of remuneration packages against Industry.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Internet: Children

Baroness Howe of Idlicote: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the comments by Baroness Shields on 17 July (HL Deb, col 862), what measures regarding the protection of children’s safety online are being considered in the strategic defence and security review.

Baroness Shields: The Government remains committed to improving the safety of children online and continues to make significant progress in a variety of areas. The Government is working through the multi-stakeholder UK Council for Child Internet Safety to drive further progress, and maintain our position as a world leader in child internet safety.At the “We Protect Summit” next month, we are seeking to promote a ModelNational Response that will provide guidance and support to countries on thecapabilities they need to have in place to combat online child sexual exploitation – which will in turn improve global coordination and our capability to act to protect the safety and human rights of children all over the world.This will inform work on the relevant aspects of the 2015 National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Internet: Children

Baroness Howe of Idlicote: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the comments by Baroness Shields on 17 July (HL Deb, col 860), how European regulations on net neutrality will affect family-friendly filters being provided by internet service providers.

Baroness Shields: Throughout the negotiations of the Telecoms Single Market package, the Government pushed for the best outcome for UK consumers. The UK was instrumental in altering the original proposals on net neutrality to ensure that the outcome was a balanced, principles-based package that protects the open internet, while supporting innovation and keeping the UK’s current world class child protection measures in place.We are considering the best method to ensure continuity for our filters regime and will be providing an update in due course.

Internet: Pornography

Baroness Howe of Idlicote: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to consult on their manifesto commitment to require age verification for pornography websites.

Baroness Shields: The Prime Minister announced on 29 July that there would be a consultation on the Government’s manifesto commitment to require age verification for websites containing pornographic material. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is currently preparing the consultation documents.I would like to thank the Noble Lady for her tireless efforts in this area and hope she will engage in the consultation when it is launched for publication later this year.

Home Office

Borders: Channel Islands

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: To ask Her Majesty’s Government who is responsible for maritime and air border controls between the Schengen area and the Channel Islands.

Lord Bates: The Bailiwicks of the Channel Islands are responsible for their own border controls. The Government takes protecting our border security very seriously, and there is a high level of collaboration on work to strengthen the Common Travel Area’s external border.

Refugees: Mediterranean Sea

Baroness Hamwee: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to replace HMC Protector and HMC Seeker, supporting search-and-rescue missions in the Mediterranean.

Baroness Hamwee: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the UK Border Force will continue to be involved in search-and-rescue missions in the Mediterranean following the withdrawal of HMC Protector and HMC Seeker.

Lord Bates: The two Border Force vessels, HMC Protector and HMC Seeker, have returned to the UK after playing an important part in the search and rescue of migrants in the Mediterranean as part of Frontex’s Operation Triton between May and September this year. The length of the vessels’ deployment was agreed between Border Force, Frontex and the host member state, Italy. The Government is considering options for providing further support to Frontex operations in the Mediterranean over the winter months and stands ready to provide assistance if there is an operational requirement to do so. Any further deployments of vessels from Border Force or other UK organisations will be determined in conjunction with Frontex and European partners.Meanwhile, the UK continues to play an important role in supporting search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean and in tackling the criminal gangs that are responsible for illegal attempts to move large numbers of migrants across the Mediterranean. The ongoing deployment of the Royal Navy vessels, HMS Enterprise and HMS Richmond, to the Mediterranean is integral to this work. Border Force also continues to supply Frontex with officers to assist with the debriefing and screening of migrants that arrive in the Mediterranean. Three officers are currently deployed to the Greek islands and three to Italy to undertake this work.

Public Houses

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Institute of Economic Affairs' report Alcohol and the public purse: Do drinkers pay their way? and the Institute of Alcohol Studies' response to this report.

Lord Bates: We estimate the total cost of alcohol to society to be approximately £21 billion a year, including alcohol-related crime and health harms and the cost to the economy of lost productivity. The IEA report takes a very narrow view of the cost of alcohol harms, basing this only on the actual costs to government set against the revenue it receives in taxation. This fails to take account the wider costs to society, including the cost of treating alcohol abuse and supporting the victims of alcohol-related violent crime.

Refugees: Germany

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 5 October (HL2318), what is the timescale by which migrants accepted by Germany as refugees could be granted German citizenship with the right to freedom of movement to the United Kingdom.

Lord Bates: The granting of German citizenship is a matter for the German Government. An asylum seeker who is recognised as refugee in Germany will initially be issued a residence permit which is time-limited to three years. A refugee can subsequently apply for an unlimited settlement permit after three years residence in Germany.Eligibility for applying for naturalisation includes the requirement to have had lawful residence in Germany for eight years. This period can be reduced to seven years if the applicant has attended a German integration course successfully and can be reduced further to six years in the case of special integration measures. Free movement rights, including travel to the UK without the requirement of a visa, can only be exercised after an applicant has been granted German citizenship.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Solar Power

Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many acres of land are now occupied by solar energy farms.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: While DECC holds information on the numbers and capacities of solar farms, DECC does not hold information on the quantity of land used for each. This information may be held by individual local planning authorities.

Cabinet Office

British Nationals Abroad: Voting Rights

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to come forward with legislation to extend the franchise to British citizens resident overseas for more than 15 years.

Lord Bridges of Headley: As set out in its manifesto, the Government is committed to removing the 15 year time limit on the Parliamentary voting rights of British citizens living overseas. The Government believes that the current 15 year time limit is arbitrary and that if British citizens want to vote in the UK Parliamentary elections, then they should be able to do so. The Government is currently considering the timetable for removing the 15 year rule and will set out more detail as soon as possible.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Albatrosses: Tristan da Cunha

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are giving any assistance to Tristan da Cunha to save the critically endangered Tristan albatross.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: UK Overseas Territory (OT) Governments are constitutionally responsible for the protection and conservation of their natural environments. The UK Government cherishes the environmental assets of the OTs and we work in partnership with OT Governments to identify where our support can be most effective, including through access to expertise, technical advice and training and through the Overseas Territory Environment and Climate Fund (Darwin Plus). Through Darwin Plus, the UK Government has committed approximately £5.2 million since 2012 to help protect the natural environment in the OTs.House mice predation on chicks of the Tristan albatross is the main threat to the species. Before the launch of Darwin Plus, the UK Government had already committed over £500,000 to help eradicate mice from Gough Island, Tristan da Cunha. Through Darwin Plus, we are providing over £82,000 to assess the conservation status of the endangered Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross on Tristan da Cunha.Joint UK Government and South Atlantic OTs funding also supports a co-ordinating post based in the Falkland Islands to help meet obligations arising from the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels and to assist with the planning and implementation of albatross and petrel conservation work.

Forests

Baroness Young of Old Scone: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to provide financial and other support for the management, protection, and expansion of the United Kingdom’s woodland resources.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Defra and the Forestry Commission continue to work with stakeholders to help landowners manage the impacts of pests and diseases at a local level and, if necessary, replace trees with the most appropriate alternative species. This Government has committed over £21.2 million to tree health research.£31m per year of new Rural Development Programme funding will be spent on forestry, with £13m being spent on woodland management and £18m on new planting. By investing in woodlands, Countryside Stewardship will help us fulfil the Government’s manifesto commitment to plant another 11 million trees by supporting the creation of around 10,000 hectares of new woodland.

Forests

Baroness Young of Old Scone: To ask Her Majesty’s Governmentwhat plans they have to consult stakeholders on the further devolution of forestry, including the cross-border functions and shared services of the Forestry Commission.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The UK Government, after being approached by Scottish Ministers in June, have agreed that officials will work jointly to consider options for the transfer of Forestry Commissioners’ powers and duties, as they relate to Scotland, to Scottish Ministers.No decisions have been taken yet and any legislative reforms will be subject to the usual Parliamentary scrutiny.

Department of Health

Eyesight: Testing

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government,in the light of the report An equal right to sight by SeeAbility, and the subsequent response by the College of Optometrists and others, what steps they are taking to ensure that children with learning difficulties have regular and full ocular examinations.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The recent NHS England “Improving Eye Health and Reducing Sight Loss Call to Action” consultation called for a debate on how to tackle eye care inequalities and specifically those experienced by people with learning disabilities. NHS England recently commissioned a service in London that will provide sight tests and dispensing of glasses at a number of special schools. This service is being provided by SeeAbility and is governed by the existing regulatory framework for primary eye care services in England. NHS England will work with SeeAbility to review current levels of provision and determine the extent to which children with learning disabilities struggle to access high street optical practices.A copy of the consultation is attached and can be found at the following link:http://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/qual-clin-lead/calltoaction/eye-cta/



Eye Consultation
(PDF Document, 471.11 KB)

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect of alcohol misuse on the NHS and other public services.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Local communities, services and businesses are best placed to tackle alcohol-related issues in their area and enforce the behaviour and develop the cultures that they want.As part of the health and care reforms, local government has been given the responsibility, backed by ring-fenced budgets, to improve people’s health – this includes responsibility for tackling problem drinking.We have given local authorities more than £8 billion in funding over three years so they can put the right services in place to help their communities to improve people’s health – this includes responsibility for tackling problem drinking. An example of where this has been done is by Balance, the North East Alcohol Office, who produced a report which details the impact of alcohol misuse on their region’s paramedics.

Hospitals: Food

Lord Mawson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy for ensuring that elderly patients who have missed their daytime meals due to medical tests receive a hot evening meal.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Decisions about hospital food are made locally by National Health Service providers, but we expect them to provide properly for all their patients’ nutritional needs. In the 2015 Patient-led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE), 96% of NHS hospitals reported that they provide one or more hot options for the evening meal.In August 2014, the Department of Health recommended five food standards to be applied to all hospitals. These include NHS England’s, ‘10 Key Characteristics of Good Nutritional Care in Hospitals’, attached, which are relevant for all patient types (including elderly patients). Two of the characteristics relate to reducing the number of missed meals and providing alternatives when meals are missed. These are:- The ward implements Protected Mealtimes to provide an environment conducive to patients enjoying and being able to eat their food; and.- Hospital facilities are designed to be flexible and patient centred with the aim of providing and delivering an excellent experience of food service and nutritional care 24 hours a day, every day.Implementation of the food standards is included in the NHS Standard Contract 2015/16 and is therefore mandatory. According to PLACE results 2015, 90.8% of NHS hospitals report that they meet the ’10 Key Characteristics of Good Nutritional Care’.



NHS 10 Key Characteristics
(PDF Document, 194.5 KB)

Amyloidosis

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress is being made by University College London in association with the National Amyloidosis Centre and GlaxoSmithKline to develop a combined small molecule antibody treatment for amyloidosis.

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the successful Phase 1 trials combining CPHPC and the antibody –SAP for the treatment of Amyloidosis, when they expect Phase 2 trials to commence, and what resource the National Institute for Health Research is making available to University College London to support this work.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Results in the first 15 patients with systemic amyloidosis treated with a combination of CPHPC and anti-SAP antibody have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The phase I study is funded by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the research team includes researchers at University College London (UCL) and the National Amyloidosis Centre (NAC).The National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network (CRN) provides support to help the life sciences industry delivery high quality commercial contract clinical research in the national health service. If a phase II trial is developed, the CRN will work with GSK, the NAC and UCL as appropriate, to deliver the trial.

Nurses: Registration

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many nurses trained in England were registered for the first time by the Nursing and Midwifery Council in 2014–15.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The information requested about the number of nurses trained in England registered for the first time by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in 2014-15 is not held centrally.The NMC is the independent regulator of nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom and is responsible for nurse registration. Statistical information provided by the NMC states that it registered 14,580, nurses who trained in England, for the first time in 2014-15.

Nurses: Students

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the attrition rate for nursing students expressed as a percentage of reported starters in 2013–14 and 2014–15.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Health Education England (HEE) does not currently collect this data.The Department of Health’s 2015 Mandate to HEE includes a requirement for HEE to reduce attrition rates from training programmes. Paragraph 6.19 sets out that HEE needs to reduce avoidable attrition from training programmes by 50% by 2017.A copy of the mandate is attached and also available at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-education-england-mandate-april-2015-to-march-2016



HEE Mandate
(PDF Document, 560.25 KB)

Nurses: Registration

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many nurses removed themselves or were removed from the Nursing and Midwifery Council Register in 2014–15.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Information about the number of nurses who removed themselves, or were removed from the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) Register in 2014-15 is not held centrally.The NMC is the independent regulator of nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom and is responsible for nurse registration. Statistical information provided by the NMCstates that 25,895 nurses, left or were removed from, its register in 2014-15. Of these, 477 nurses were struck off by the NMC.

Nurses: Migrant Workers

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many European Union and non-European Union nurses were given registered status by the Nursing and Midwifery Council in each of the years 2010–11 to 2014–15.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The information requested about the number of European Union and non-EU nurses registered by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in each of the years 2010-11 to 2014-15 is not held centrally.The NMC is the independent regulator of nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom and is responsible for nurse registration. Statistical information provided by the NMC on initial registration of nurses who trained in the EU (excluding the UK) or overseas (non-EU) per annum for the five financial years specified is shown in the following table.Financial Year (ending 31 March)Overseas  (non-EU)EU  (excluding the UK)2010-111,1432,5212011-121,1522,9692012-138693,2982013-148405,1812014-156657,267Total4,66921,236